When I heard that this tour was being held at Manchester Academy 2 I was quietly shocked that it had found home in such a small venue; clearly they made the right choice as there was enough room to swing about ten cats; slightly disappointing given the quality of the acts that were playing.
By the time I had finished gossiping with the bands and wandered into the venue it was time for Story Of The Year to take to the stage - a band who I was really looking forward to seeing as the last time I caught them live was on the same tour back in 2005.
Bursting onto the stage with oodles of energy the guys launch straight into And The Hero Will Drown which goes down tremendously with the crowd. Dan Marsala gets his face right up to the fans who just can’t get enough and his live vocals are incredible considering he’s flapping about the stage like a baby dinosaur.
Adam Russell does an incredible job of screeching around the stage, smashing his head around and playing bass flawlessly… and here I was thinking that guys could only do one thing at a time.
It’s a shame that they are relegated to the support act as they sound incredible live and are one of the most talented bands around today and they aren’t afraid to get stuck in either as Dan climbs to the top of the speakers before launching himself into the crowd during Until The Day I Die.
A quick changeover and we’re onto Atreyu - the main band of the night. Now these guys get a bad rap from the likes of Kerrang! Magazine so I was curious to see what they were like live and whether they actually deserve the slating they get.
The kids go crazy before the band even wander onto stage and when the lights go up I wonder if John Travolta had joined the guys on stage for the night, but my photographer was quick to point out that it was in fact Dan J and not Danny Zucko.
Right Side Of The Bed slams into you from the first beat like someone taking a sledgehammer to your ears - Atreyu have well and truly arrived in Manchester.
For the next thirsty minutes we are treated to tracks from their entire back catalogue so no one is left disappointed -from the Old Skool ‘The Curse’ fans to the new kids who are rocking out to Lead Sails Paper Anchor.
The likes of Ex’s and Oh’s, Blow and Bleeding Mascara gets the whole place pumping and for a minute I actually worry that the floor is going to give way under the mass of jumping teenagers.
With Lipgloss And Black a circle pit ensues and everyone gets crushed against the barrier a little more but that doesn’t seem to bother them as it’s all in the name of rock and roll right?
After this little bit of excitement Alex instructs everyone to get down on their knees and from my point at the front of the stage it looks incredible (apart from the four miserable ones who stand there with their arms folded - keen not to be told what to do on a night out.)
One the first beat of their final song everyone jumps to their feet and there is a real sense of ‘one’ on the room as everyone cherishes every last beat of the song until once again the room is drenched in light and their heroes are gone.
Fair enough, a Taste Of Chaos is a bit of an ambitious title for this tour now as the only ‘taste of chaos’ comes from the underage kids trying to get served at the bar. But overall it was yet another great night of live music and free Rockstar drinks… what could be better?
Check out our incredible gallery of pictures from the gig here
FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison
Photography - Claire Parkinson